Skip to content
forebot.
Sign inBook a demo

Toilet running, leaking or flushing weak.

A plumber should handle tank and flush valve repairs, and a licensed plumber should reset toilets where local rules require.

Customers put it like this

  • The toilet keeps running
  • It refills by itself when nobody used it
  • Water around the base of the toilet
  • The flush valve won't shut off
Check it step by stepPrepare this job in ForeBot

Stop first if

  • The floor around the toilet feels soft, or the ceiling below is wetStay off the soft spot and stop using the toilet. Have a qualified person check the subfloor and ceiling.
  • Water or sewage from the toilet has reached wiring or light fixtures belowKeep clear of that area. Call the electric utility or a licensed electrician before anyone goes in.

Check it step by step

Answer what you can see or measure. Each answer sets causes aside, and the check offers the one cheap reading that best separates the rest. Nothing is saved, and no account is needed.

Start the check
01

Ask on the call

6

Homeowner? These are the questions a good technician will ask you. Having the answers ready makes the first visit count.

  1. Does it run all the time, or refill on and off when nobody uses it?
  2. Is the water at the base, at the supply line, or on the outside of the tank?
  3. Is it a tank toilet or a flush valve with no tank?
  4. Do you use drop-in cleaner tablets in the tank?
  5. Is the ceiling below stained?
  6. Does the bowl drain slowly, or is it only a weak flush?
02

Bring

5
  • Food coloring for a dye check
  • Rags for drying the tank and base
  • Moisture meter
  • Tank seal and fill parts, matched after the toilet is identified
  • Flashlight
03

Check on site

6
  1. Name the type: gravity tank or flush valve. Close the fixture stop before taking anything apart.
  2. Look at the refill tube. Its clip should hold it at the overflow, with the end above the water.
  3. See if tank water spills into the overflow. That may point toward the refill side or how its float is set.
  4. Once tank water sits under the overflow rim, tint it with food coloring. Leave it unflushed for some minutes and look for color in the bowl.
  5. For water at the base, wipe everything dry first: tank, supply connector and floor joint. Flush a few times and see where wetness comes back.
  6. On a flush valve, close the stop, wash the small metering hole without enlarging it, and inspect the diaphragm.
04

Keep on the record

5
  • Toilet type and any flush volume marked on the valve or fixture
  • Dye check result
  • Photos of the base, supply connection and ceiling below
  • Moisture readings around the base
  • Any in-tank cleaner found

General guidance for a qualified person, not a finding about any home. The person on site decides.